Centennial Woods is made up of 70 acres of diverse habitat, this includes mixed hardwoods, conifer stands along with streams, fields and wetland area. Located within Burlington it is right next to the UVM campus, being on of the most visited of UVM natural areas. Used for academic study, students in Environmental Studies, Botany, Zoology, Forestry, Recreation Management, and Education use this areas vast array of trails to look at the natural ecosystem and landscape features found here. Looking into the history of Centennial Woods shows a complex history of different uses, through the time periods. Going back about 10,000 years the sandy soil that is found throughout the area can be traced back to the Champlain Sea. It was deposited from the delta of what would become the Winooski River. As the Abenaki were living by and along the Winooski River it can be assumed that they were in Centennial Woods pre-European settlement. A 1998 University of Vermont Archaeology class discovered a 2,800 square foot site that contained evidence and examples of Native American tools. Numerous stone tools were uncovered, the biggest artifact being a four inch long stone spear head. The land was then owned byFred Fiske, C. Baxter Est., H. Stevens, Hickok Est. who most likely used the land for agricultural purposes. This would explain the barbed wire and stonewalls as well as similar aged trees. Although now the forest is one of the oldest in the area it still isn’t a old growth forest. Most surprisingly, during the mid 1900s, Centennial was used as a ski resort. The South Burlington Kiwanis Ski Area occupied the land in the winters of 1962 until 1967, when the area was destroyed by arson. The ski slope included a 500 foot tow rope, wooden tow shack, and flood lights donated by South Burlington High school. Only charred remains are visible today. The land was officially designated a UVM Natural Area in April 1974.
Also check out my last post of photos for Fall Semester here! Sadly, there hasn’t been any snowfall yet!
Sources:
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmsc/Centennial%20Woods/UVM_Natural_Areas_1974001.pdf
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmsc/Centennial%20Woods/Changing_Landscapes_Centennial_Woods
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/vq/vqfall99/inbrief.html
http://www.nelsap.org/vt/sburl.html